There is a globally recognised need for point-of-care testing and rapid identification of UTIs. Current ‘gold standard’ urine culture diagnostics take hours to yield results, and there remains an unmet need for accurate diagnostics within the elderly population, where UTIs are common and diagnosis is particularly complex. Moreover, evidence raises concerns about the certainty of current diagnostic methods, variations in practice, and their contributions to inappropriate antibiotic prescription. We report on over 100 UTI technologies identified as part of a horizon scan for MedTech technologies deemed to diagnose, monitor, screen, or prevent UTIs. Such technologies included medical devices, diagnostics, digital tools, or a combination thereof.
Horizon Scanning Report: Identification of Urinary Tract Infection Technologies
The burden of antimicrobial resistant infection is growing, and with significant numbers of people developing UTIs and recurrent UTIs, there is a clear need to improve the detection, diagnosis, and screening approaches used for urinary tract infections. The Innovation Observatory, following a request from the AMR Programme Board and the AMR Diagnostic Programme Board, performed a horizon scan of UTI technologies, and identified the pipeline of development, key players, and challenges in this field.